UPDATE2: This type of mass murder doesn't happen in other "advanced countries". *At least not at this magnitude*. Is this a true statement?

The #1 cause of death in the US as of 2010 (I could not find more recent statistics that didn't seem biased in some way) is heart disease with 611,105 deaths.

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm

Firearm deaths for the same year per the CDC was 16,121

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/homicide.htm

Conversely, as of 2011 Honduras lead the world in firearm related deaths/homicides with what looks to be over 60,000 deaths.

http://crimepreventionresearchcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Homicide-rates-across-all-countries.jpeg

http://crimepreventionresearchcenter.org/2014/03/comparing-murder-rates-across-countries/

These last 2 references also claim that the US has the highest amount of gun ownership, at 88.8 guns per 100 people.

So in my opinion it is not the relatively easy availability of guns in America that is the problem, therefore increased legislation and anti-gun laws are not, in my opinion, the answer.

The answer is simply increased access to things like medical records (yes I understand about HIPAA) but only to see if a person has mental health issues that would make gun ownership for them not such a great idea. In Arizona for instance (and I don't know if this is a federal or state law they're going off of), a person is prohibited from owning guns if they were committed to a mental health ward against their will but are NOT restricted from ownership if they are self-committed.

Also easier access to other lists (as I believe other posters have already mentioned) such as people convicted of domestic violence and other types of offenses/convictions that prohibit gun ownership.

SGT (Join to see), if I missed the point of your post I apologize, but when I see what I perceive as an excuse to make it more difficult for law abiding citizens to own guns I go on the attack. The Second Amendment is something I hold very near and dear.

SGT (Join to see), et all, My feelings about what the POTUS said, are this. He is so determined, for what unknown agenda , to shove this tragedy down the throats of the anti gun populous. He has to think if this killer was a legal gun owner or not. That's my guess, it's not fact. Killers like him can get a weapon on any street corner. For him to sit there for an hour, listening to the word of God, then getup and start killing, tells me he's not insane, he's a cold blooded killer. He planned this because he is a racist, and wanted to kill Afro Americans. He must have a lot of money to purchase that much ammunition to reload five times. I think about this a lot at my church. It would be so easy for someone to walk in off the street and start shooting. I'm constantly alert and watching the doors as I'm in church. I'm not supposed to carry in church, but I do. I'm an usher so I'm always at the entrance, watching. That's a terrible thing to do, but in this day and age, anything can and will happen.

Depending on the source, Latin America is the most violent with murder rates. But according to the huffington post, Honduras is number 1 (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/10/worlds-highest-murder-rates_n_5125188.html). Sadly, this kind of thing does happen in other countries. The bottom line is if someone is going to do this type of thing they will find a way to do it. Having more gun control laws does NOT stop criminals, murderers, etc from killing. They will steal them, buy them on the black market, find a different weapon, etc. Gun control laws only make it harder for the average law-abiding.

SGT (Join to see), No ma'am it's not true. I found a link from a source who has information about this happening in other countries.



http://thefederalist.com/2015/06/18/actually-president-obama-mass-killings-arent-uncommon-in-other-countries/

My daughter was on a vacation to Guatemala and took a picture of a sign outside a church that said "no guns". We all laughed. That's what we've become a place where people can't even be safe when they worship. Sad for America today.

No. It is an outright Lie. There is gun violence in every country on this planet. The gun laws of this country make it easier for criminals to get firearms.

It's insanely false and typically ignorant of this particular individual.

It's time to stop discussing guns. This path leads to government engagement to eliminate cars, and houses (the place where most injuries occur), and everything else that could be dangerous. It's time to discuss the mental state of people that would use guns, or knives, or baseball bats to kill other people. This is the issue....and the only issue. We need to defeat ISIS with our ideology. Start the planning and op-orders there.

So I guess, Hamas blowing up a bus full of children in Israel dont count

Let's be clear. The President's assertion has nothing to do with the problem of violent crime. He is the chief law enforcement officer. He should enforce it. More importantly, he should support those who do enforce it. Sadly, he doesn't. In every incident since his election, his knee-jerk reaction has been to side with the perpetrator.

Today, we see cops being gunned down, assaulted by "innocent" bystanders, and reviled in the communities they seek to serve and protect. In Baltimore, they hide in their precinct houses and wait for the smoke to clear.

The President and other elected and non-elected leaders have created this environment. They have given permission to the mob to attack law enforcement. They have even led the way.

The gun issue is totally separate. Threats to repeal or not recognize our 2nd Amendment Rights are purely an effort to control our behavior. That is the ideology of the Left. They cannot create the "better" society they envision so long as individuals have the freedom to behave as they see fit. Individual liberty is an impediment to social order. Individuality is an anathema to the Left. Most importantly, an armed citizenry cannot be controlled making the 2nd Amendment the greatest impediment to the goals of the Left.

The press is populated largely with Leftists thus explaining their unwillingness to report news of individuals successfully defending themselves or otherwise averting crimes by virtue of the fact that they were armed. At least two instances of legitimately armed citizens averting an armed assault of a church have been largely covered up by the press while they broadcast the incident in Charleston with great gusto.

The Left isn't saddened by tragedy. Their tears are quickly lost in their race to deny our individual liberties.